alk-20240912

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT

TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

September 12, 2024

(Date of earliest event reported)

ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)


1-8957						91-1292054
(Commission File Number)						(IRS Employer Identification No.)

19300 International Boulevard

Seattle

Washington

98188

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

(206) 392-5040

(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Ticker Symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.01 par value	ALK	New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).

☐ Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

This document is also available on our website at http://investor.alaskaair.com

ITEM 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure

Pursuant to 17 CFR Part 243 (Regulation FD), the Company is submitting information relating to its financial and operational outlook in an Investor Update. The Investor Update is furnished herein as Exhibit 99.1.

In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information under this item shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), nor shall such information be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing. This report will not be deemed an admission as to the materiality of any information required to be disclosed solely to satisfy the requirements of Regulation FD.

ITEM 9.01. Financial Statements and Other Exhibits


Exhibit 99.1						Alaska Air Group Investor Update
104						Cover Page Interactive Data File - embedded within the Inline XBRL Document

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.

Registrant

Date: September 12, 2024

/s/ EMILY HALVERSON

Emily Halverson

Vice President Finance and Controller

Document

Exhibit 99.1

Investor Update - September 12, 2024

References in this update to “Air Group,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Alaska Air Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified.

Certain financial information provided in this exhibit (“non-GAAP financial figures”) is not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”). Non-GAAP financial figures may be useful to stakeholders, but should not be considered a substitute for GAAP figures. Air Group is not able to reconcile certain forward looking non-GAAP financial figures without unreasonable effort because the adjusting items will not be known until the end of the indicated future periods and could be significant. Please see the cautionary statement under “Forward-Looking Information.”

We are providing information about estimated fuel prices. Management believes it is useful to compare results between periods on an “economic basis.” Economic fuel expense is defined as the raw or “into-plane” fuel cost less any cash we receive from hedge counterparties for hedges that settle during the period, offset by the recognition of premiums originally paid for those hedges that settle during the period. Economic fuel expense more closely approximates the net cash outflow associated with purchasing fuel for our operation.

Forward-Looking Information

This update contains forward-looking statements subject to the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual outcomes to be materially different from those indicated by our forward-looking statements, assumptions or beliefs. For a comprehensive discussion of potential risk factors, see Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Some of these risks include competition, labor costs, relations and availability, general economic conditions including those associated with pandemic recovery, increases in operating costs including fuel, inability to meet cost reduction, ESG and other strategic goals, seasonal fluctuations in demand and financial results, supply chain risks, events that negatively impact aviation safety and security, and changes in laws and regulations that impact our business. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risk factors discussed in our most recent Form 10-K and in our subsequent SEC filings. We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risk factors emerge from time to time. Management cannot predict such new risk factors, nor can it assess the impact, if any, of such new risk factors on our business or events described in any forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made today to conform them to actual results. Over time, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ from the anticipated results, performance or achievements that are expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, assumptions or beliefs and such differences might be significant and materially adverse.


AIR GROUP - CONSOLIDATED

FINANCIAL UPDATE

The table below reflects our updated expectations for Q3 2024:

Q3 Expectation

Previous Q3 Expectation

Capacity (ASMs) % change versus 2023

Up 2% to 3%

CASMex % change versus 2023

Up high single digits

RASM % change versus 2023

Up ~ 2%

Flat to positive

Economic fuel cost per gallon

$2.60 to $2.70

$2.85 to $2.95

Earnings per share(a)

$2.15 to $2.25

$1.40 to $1.60

(a) Earnings per share guidance assumes a tax rate of approximately 25%.

Throughout the summer travel period, we continued to experience strong demand as we flew a record schedule and delivered a reliable operation for guests with a 99.3% completion rate QTD. While capacity remains in line with prior expectations, revenue has performed better than anticipated driven by additional revenue in July related to CrowdStrike disruptions across the industry and stronger performance in August and September. As previously expected, unit revenue inflected positively in August, and with continued strength into September, we now expect total unit revenue to be up approximately 2% y/y in Q3 2024. Additionally, moderating crude oil and West Coast refining margins have led us to lower our economic fuel cost expectations to $2.60 to $2.70 per gallon for the quarter. As a result of the improved revenue and fuel cost outlook, we are raising our adjusted EPS for Q3 2024, which we now expect to be between $2.15 and $2.25.